BEST OF BRITAIN


built it, why it was made and its true purpose. Tere is a myriad of theories of how the stones were transported and then so precisely leveraged into place. Tere are those who believe that it was sound, others believe that it would have been a system of pulleys, while others believe giants may have built it. Like many of life’s mysteries, at this point we can only theorise as to what the truth may be. During medieval and religious times, people removed the stones, believing that the


stones had been a place of heathen worship and were put there by the devil. Te site later went through a period of restoration and put back together, with some in different spots. Stone markers replaced missing stones. While it’s not exactly clear how it was done, it is still impressive. Has all this interference affected the power of this sacred site?


The energies at Avebury


Tere have been tests on the energy and the acoustics but how tangible is that for every- day people? I can't speak for you but for me, the energy at Avebury was both tangible and phenomenal. I could feel it the moment I got off the bus. As I wandered about and touched all the stones, I noticed that when I sat in the centre or was in-between the stones there was a resonance of their energy working together. It was an incredible expe- rience and was well worth my four-month pilgrimage across land and sea to finally come to the heart of hearts of European sacred sites and stone circles.


What to know before you go


As with many sacred sites, I recommend you do some research before going, as you may not always find up-to-date information in the tourist office. Give yourself enough time to explore the area. Be prepared to eat when everyone else does or bring a packed lunch. Tere are not many eating spots and the village pub stops serving food after lunch. As with most sacred sites, take some quiet time, centre yourself and be open to the en-


ergies that are there. Sit somewhere quiet and ponder, or meditate, and just be. Each site can set alight a spark in us if we allow it to, especially in a site where people selected stones that have been put in place to bring together the strongest of energies. We do others and ourselves a favour when visiting the site in a respectful way, with reverence and good intentions. For me, the pilgrimage goes on. I hear that there are more than 1,000 stone circles in


the United Kingdom, so Avebury isn’t the last on my list. Life itself is a pilgrimage, and sacred sites like Avebury make the journey that we are on all the more magic.


Michelle van den Hout, an avid traveller and perpetual nomad, can be found sitting somewhere in a stone circle somewhere in England or over on www.travelmovelive.com or @travelmovelive on Instagram.


24 FOCUS The Magazine July/August 2019 www.focus-info.org


Avebury courtesy of English Heritage


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